God in the fire

“Firefighters have almost completely contained The King Fire, Cal Fire said Friday night. ” The wildfire that was  sparked 20 days ago reeked havoc on 151 miles of mountain terrain . The effects of the fire and smoke spanned for hundreds of miles. The landscape of the area has been forever changed. For those of us in NorCal, the King fire  affected the weather patterns and air quality in our area.   Even here at home, children were brought indoors for recesses, soccer practices were cancelled, and asthmatics were given breathing treatments.

I wrote this entry last week….

“Here at home….it’s an eery kind of overcast. The smell of smoke is thick in the air. The air quality reports are measuring dangerous to sensitive people.

And my family- we are sensitive. Not to breathing the smoky air but to the memories the smell triggers for us. There has been so much healing, but the memories are still fresh from our own fire.

Two years ago- that pungent smoke smell accompanied the horrific sight of watching our home burn down.

Flames of FIRE only burned a few of our belongings, the attic, and the wall frames of half of our house. SMOKE, however permeated everything that could be salvaged. For months, that smell would make my throat ache and my stomach churn. SMOKE and Fire: destructive accomplices  working  hand-in-hand to destroy.

AND YET, as I breathe that smoky air and remember our house fire, I remember the devastation, yes. I remember the loss and the trauma my family experienced but more than that I remember GOD’S PRESENCE.

The thick smoke smell brings it all back.

God in fire.

Literally.

He was with us.

I think about the devastation fire brings. I remember how it took my kids’ toys, and my childhood piano, our furniture, and some nostalgic objects. I remember the trauma of being “homeless” for a bit. But more than that I remember how GOD was SO very present in it all. It was like He was right there with us. Everyday we saw miracles. We needed and He provided. We were scared and He comforted. We were traumatized and fearful and He restored our courage and hope. We lost almost every tangible THING, but we gained the KINGDOM.

“Though you walk through the fire, I will be there. And through the flames. You’ll not, be burned. For I am with you.” Isaiah 43:2

And here’s the weirdest and coolest thing. In studying the Bible , I learned that God used FIRE and SMOKE to represent his God’s presence again and again. One commentary said “God’s revelation of Himself and His will was often accompanied by FIRE.”

Think about it:

• The voice of God spoke to Moses in a “burning” bush
• When Moses went up to meet God at Mt. Sinai, the mountain top was consumed with FIRE (the very presence of God)
• When Baal and Elijah chose to sacrifice at the altars, they both prayed for their gods to bring down a FIRE from heaven to show which one was REAL. Guess who won?
• Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego were thrown in the FIRE when they refused to bow down to another god.  The image of a fourth man was also seen in the fire (Jesus)
• God led the Israelites to the Promised land through a cloud of smoke in the day and  a pillar of FIRE by night.

The year anniversary of our house fire, we sat around the table and talked about what we remembered, what we had learned. My six year old son said it best: “I learned GOD was REAL.”

Yep, and He did that through the fire.  So from this day forward, when I smell that pungeant smoke smell, or I see flames burning, or hear news reports of land set ablaze, my heart will ache for those who will experience loss through that fire. I know how devastating that can be. But part of me will smirk a bit and think.”just wait – God is gonna reveal Himself through that fire.”

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29

Alyssa